Solid Foods and Diaper Rash

November 8, 2017

Your baby is bursting into tears, her bottom is pink and puffy, and you’re hurting at the thought of her being in any kind of pain. This heart-wrenching moment is probably brought to you by diaper rash, that evil condition that irritates your baby’s tushie, oftentimes accompanied by red spots or bumps. Diaper rash appears on your baby’s rump for many potential reasons, and if you recently started adding solid foods to your baby’s menu, there’s a possibility that you’ll be seeing more of it. Solid foods affect your little one’s digestion in many different ways, and while diaper rash is a fact of life, you should keep an eye out for repeat offender foods that seem to affect your baby more than others. Also keep in mind that certain kinds of foods are more likely to cause diaper rashes than others. Here are some examples:

Citruses

Acidic foods can be a major culprit if your baby is suffering from diaper rash. The acidity of these fruits can be a little hard for your baby’s delicate tummy to digest. Whether frequent diaper rashes are an issue or not, opt to wait about a year until you introduce citruses such as limes, grapefruits, and oranges to your baby’s diet.

Tomatoes

While they don’t have the same acidic taste of citruses, tomatoes are acidic as well—avoid these and tomato-based sauces.

Strawberries

Strawberries are also acidic. Like most berries, they’re sweet and babies usually enjoy them, but if diaper rash is an issue, they could also be to blame.

Prunes and plums

If a food causes diarrhea in adults, it could cause it for babies as well. When your little one’s poopsies are frequent and watery, diaper rash will probably be lurking around the corner! Avoid foods like prunes, plums, grapes and apricots if diarrhea becomes an issue.

Dairy products

Yogurt is great, but try keeping other cow-based dairy products out of the mix if your little one is struggling.

Proteins

Some babies are sensitive to protein in foods like wheat (such as oatmeal) and beans.

There are a few other things you can do that can help you solve these mysterious cases of diaper rash. When you introduce solid foods, follow the three-day rule: Only feed your baby one kind of food for three days before switching to a new one. This will give their digestive system a chance to adapt. Be adamant about this if your little one is having frequent diaper rashes—it’ll also give you the chance to single out the foods and figure out which one is the issue. Also, try keeping a food journal. If diaper rashes become an issue, you’ll have an easier time singling out the potential culprits by going to the journal and looking for repeat offenders.

Remember that there’s no need to nix all of these foods from your grocery list just yet. They’re not all necessarily going to cause diaper rash! It’s when you begin to notice diaper rashes that it may be time to reconsider these foods and start playing detective. Being aware of what foods don’t sit well with your little one will help ensure her transition into solid foods is as smooth as a baby’s bottom.

This material is intended to provide basic information and is not medical advice. All medical advice, diagnosis and treatment should be obtained from your physician. The product information provided in this site is intended for residents of the United States.